1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the class of fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing. More particularly, the present invention relates to the subclass of portable drinking tubes and straws.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for straws have been provided in the prior art. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,206 to Whiton teaches a de-rice having a generally upright standing tube straw or tube member having an aperture therein which runs the full length of the tube therein. The tube has a bottom base plate located on its lower end which is attached to the tube and supported by brace members near the bottom of the tube. The aperture of the tube extends through the base plate. The base plate is equipped with numerous protrusions on its underside which are used to crush and extract juice and pulp from slices of fruit in the drink mixture. Also provided is longitudinal vertical slots or apertures located between buttresses which slots serve as means to prevent the tube or straw from becoming clogged with pulp or sealed to the drink vessel by providing additional ingress into the tube. Alternative embodiments are provided which allow the base plate to be formed into recognizable shapes such as a bottle or lemon, or having a contoured edge to aid in the juice extraction process.
Even though the innovation of Whiton may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which it addresses, however, it would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
Whiton does not teach, as taught by the present invention, a straw that crushes and mixes sugar granules in a liquid by virtue of protrusions that are cylindrically-shaped and formed, and separated from each other, by fine grooves that are approximately {fraction (1/64)}xe2x80x3 wide, or a straw that creates a main flow that draws liquid from below and a supplemental flow that draws liquid from above, wherein the supplemental flow has reduced head loss by virtue of a round-cornered entrance for the supplemental flow, and wherein the supplemental flow creates turbulence just prior to joining the main flow which intensely mixes the liquid by virtue of disturbing the supplemental flow just prior to joining the main flow, with such joining being external to the straw.
In contradistinction, Whiton teaches a straw that extracts juice and pulp from, and then crushes, slices of fruit in the liquid by virtue of the protrusions being conically-shaped requiring first piercing by the protrusions and then crushing by the lower surface of the base. The supplemental flow that draws liquid from above does not have reduced head loss by virtue of a sharp-cornered entrance for the supplemental flow or does the supplemental flow create turbulence just prior to joining the main flow by virtue of the supplemental flow not being disturbed just prior to joining the main flow and with such joining being internal to the straw so that therefore the supplemental flow cannot intensely mix the liquid.
ACCORDINGLY, AN OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid that is simple to use.
STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid that crushes and mixes sugar granules in a liquid.
YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid that creates a supplemental flow that draws liquid from above.
STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid whose supplemental flow has reduced head loss.
YET STILL ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid whose supplemental flow creates turbulence which intensely mixes the liquid.
BRIEFLY STATED, STILL YET ANOTHER OBJECT of the present invention is to provide a straw for sipping a liquid that includes a tube, a base that depends from the tube, and protrusions that depend from the base. The base has a primary throughbore that is in fluid communication with the tube and allows the liquid that is below the base to be drawn up therethrough and up through the tube so as to provide a main flow. The base further has at least one secondary throughbore that is independent of both the primary throughbore and the tube and allows the liquid that is above the base to be drawn down therethrough and up through the primary throughbore and up through the tube so as to provide a flow that supplements the main flow. The protrusions are cylindrically-shaped and formed, and separated from each other, by fine grooves that are approximately {fraction (1/64)}xe2x80x3 wide so as to allow the base to crush and mix sugar granules in the liquid.
The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing.